I feel my own physical and emotional pain and I wonder why I am suffering. I struggle when I see others go through suffering. It's especially painful when one human purposely harms another. I've been asking myself why we suffer so much. Is there a purpose to our pain?
1. We suffer because we make wrong choices. Some wrong choices have immediate consequences; others have later consequences. We immediately lose the Spirit when we purposely choose wrong. When I don't go to bed on time, I suffer a headache the next day.
2. When we suffer because of others' wrong choices, our suffering stands as a witness before God. The blood of the saints cries out against those who don't repent.
3. We gain empathy. When we struggle through pain, we understand others' pain. We then can help each other through difficulties.
4. We come to know our Savior. We seek for his guidance when we are in pain and he has the power to heal us.
5. We know the bitter from the sweet. We can't know joy unless we've experienced pain.
So why do you think we suffer? I'd love to hear more thoughts.
September 30, 2014
Mortal Life: Stuck in the Middle
Being a human feels so hard sometimes. Our bodies have so many problems. I think of all the challenges that come with mortal life and I wonder why we have to go through this before being resurrected with a perfect body.
So here are the reasons I can think of why we are here on earth:
1. Get a physical body. My belief is that Heavenly Father has a physical body. Since we are commanded to strive to be like Him, then we need physical bodies too. (We'll get the perfect bodies later.)
2. Drive our heavenly parents insane. We were like babies as spirits and now we're spiritual teenagers with bodies. We're testing our wings.
3. Make our own choices that can only happen in physical bodies. We're free to mess up our lives and others' lives, or improve ourselves and help others. We can see that we are happier when we make good choices, even though we may have temporary sadness.
4. Learn. We learn all the time. We learn even faster when we find and obey truth.
Being stuck in the middle of mortal life is part of our eternal progression. We can't go from dough to cookies. We've got to bake somewhere in the middle and it burns!
So here are the reasons I can think of why we are here on earth:
1. Get a physical body. My belief is that Heavenly Father has a physical body. Since we are commanded to strive to be like Him, then we need physical bodies too. (We'll get the perfect bodies later.)
2. Drive our heavenly parents insane. We were like babies as spirits and now we're spiritual teenagers with bodies. We're testing our wings.
3. Make our own choices that can only happen in physical bodies. We're free to mess up our lives and others' lives, or improve ourselves and help others. We can see that we are happier when we make good choices, even though we may have temporary sadness.
4. Learn. We learn all the time. We learn even faster when we find and obey truth.
Being stuck in the middle of mortal life is part of our eternal progression. We can't go from dough to cookies. We've got to bake somewhere in the middle and it burns!
Before Birth
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee." Jeremiah 1:4
We often think about an afterlife, but we don't think of a before-life as often. The Lord knew Jeremiah before he was even a fetus. This is only possible if we existed before physical birth, even though our finite minds can't comprehend this as easily.
We were once intelligences, the basic component of being. But we had to go from that state to another state. Similar to physical birth, our heavenly parents birthed our spirits. Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother taught us about how we could return to them after being physically born. We'd have to relearn all this.
We left the nest to come to earth so we could grow. We knew we would face trials, and life wouldn't be fair during mortality.
We intellectually knew what would happen, but we had no idea what mortal life would really be like.
To me, it's like a teenager saying parenting is easy. Now we're in for the long haul.
We often think about an afterlife, but we don't think of a before-life as often. The Lord knew Jeremiah before he was even a fetus. This is only possible if we existed before physical birth, even though our finite minds can't comprehend this as easily.
We were once intelligences, the basic component of being. But we had to go from that state to another state. Similar to physical birth, our heavenly parents birthed our spirits. Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother taught us about how we could return to them after being physically born. We'd have to relearn all this.
We left the nest to come to earth so we could grow. We knew we would face trials, and life wouldn't be fair during mortality.
We intellectually knew what would happen, but we had no idea what mortal life would really be like.
To me, it's like a teenager saying parenting is easy. Now we're in for the long haul.
September 16, 2014
God Loves You for Who You Are
I watched the movie Mom's Night Out tonight. I enjoyed watching it because it had a good plot and comedy. It also had a good message that wasn't contrived. (I sometimes go crazy when I watch well-meaning movies that haven't been done well.)
Anyway, the main character learns that she is not a failure. God loves her for who she is. She feels imperfect, but she can't expect to be perfect. She put the pressure on herself.
Many years ago, I felt God telling me that I am special because of who I am, what I do, and what I say. So all of us are special because of who we are, the good things we do, and the good things we say.
We are all children of Heavenly Father. We each have unique gifts that only we possess as individuals. We can help each other along this path of life even with our imperfections.
Anyway, the main character learns that she is not a failure. God loves her for who she is. She feels imperfect, but she can't expect to be perfect. She put the pressure on herself.
Many years ago, I felt God telling me that I am special because of who I am, what I do, and what I say. So all of us are special because of who we are, the good things we do, and the good things we say.
We are all children of Heavenly Father. We each have unique gifts that only we possess as individuals. We can help each other along this path of life even with our imperfections.
September 11, 2014
My Mourning Prayer on September 11, 2001
I
don’t recall my morning prayer.
Did
I pray for world peace?
The
terrorists were seated by then,
Maybe
had control.
How
was the world to know?
News
flashed past my ears.
Later,
I understood the enormity;
Then
I mourned.
Such
evil! Such travesty!
The
walls came tumbling down…
In
more than one way.
Petty
differences set aside
Now
in each other we confide.
As
I lay me down,
Oh
God,
I
pray
May
this longer last
And
not fade in the past.
I had just started my
freshman year of college. Before I went to my writing
class, I heard on the radio about the planes crashing into the World Trade
Center
September 01, 2014
Home School, Private School, or Public School
What type of schooling do you prefer? I've been wondering what would be the most beneficial. I choose one option, but I'm listing what I think are advantages/disadvantages of each.
Home School
You choose the curriculum as a parent. Your children receive more one-on-one attention. You can take field trips any time and make anything educational. This is cheaper than a private school. It's debatable if this is cheaper than public school. Don't have to have nice clothes or a uniform or other things. You can find free or used textbooks.
I see disadvantages that you have to put more effort into having your children socialize, but you also guide the social activities. This can be time-consuming if both parents have to work, or it would be too much of a physical or emotional strain. Some parents need the mental break while their children are at school.
I know some parents really enjoy learning with their children and feel that they are growing intellectually through homeschooling.
Private School
Private school provides socialization and has a curriculum you may prefer over public school. However, private school is more expensive than home school and public school most of the time. I haven't had much experience with this.
Public School
You can't beat free! Well, it's not free, but since we already pay property taxes or our landlords pay it from our rent, we might as well use it if we want to. It provides socialization, but not always positive. If you work, you don't have to hire a babysitter.
You may disagree with the methods and curriculum taught at public schools. Often, the curriculum follows the current fad among upper management who aren't in direct contact with children. Teachers in the trenches know what each child needs.
Public school is "free," but it isn't. You still have to pay for lunch, or buy lunch bags, and sometimes a uniform. Public schools ask for donations since their funding is siphoned down the line. You still pay textbook, lab, and other fees for 7th-12th grade. You can get a waiver if you don't make enough, but many people don't or can't.
Charter school is a public option where parents can control more of the curriculum. It is hard to get into a charter school or parents can form a new one.
Conclusion
This is such a personal decision. It depends on your physical and mental abilities and so many other factors. Each child is different and each parent is different. I had one neighbor who would pray about where she should take her children to school each year. Sometimes they needed public school, charter school, or home school. God knows each child better than we do.
Please leave comments! Education is so important for children and adults.
Home School
You choose the curriculum as a parent. Your children receive more one-on-one attention. You can take field trips any time and make anything educational. This is cheaper than a private school. It's debatable if this is cheaper than public school. Don't have to have nice clothes or a uniform or other things. You can find free or used textbooks.
I see disadvantages that you have to put more effort into having your children socialize, but you also guide the social activities. This can be time-consuming if both parents have to work, or it would be too much of a physical or emotional strain. Some parents need the mental break while their children are at school.
I know some parents really enjoy learning with their children and feel that they are growing intellectually through homeschooling.
Private School
Private school provides socialization and has a curriculum you may prefer over public school. However, private school is more expensive than home school and public school most of the time. I haven't had much experience with this.
Public School
You can't beat free! Well, it's not free, but since we already pay property taxes or our landlords pay it from our rent, we might as well use it if we want to. It provides socialization, but not always positive. If you work, you don't have to hire a babysitter.
You may disagree with the methods and curriculum taught at public schools. Often, the curriculum follows the current fad among upper management who aren't in direct contact with children. Teachers in the trenches know what each child needs.
Public school is "free," but it isn't. You still have to pay for lunch, or buy lunch bags, and sometimes a uniform. Public schools ask for donations since their funding is siphoned down the line. You still pay textbook, lab, and other fees for 7th-12th grade. You can get a waiver if you don't make enough, but many people don't or can't.
Charter school is a public option where parents can control more of the curriculum. It is hard to get into a charter school or parents can form a new one.
Conclusion
This is such a personal decision. It depends on your physical and mental abilities and so many other factors. Each child is different and each parent is different. I had one neighbor who would pray about where she should take her children to school each year. Sometimes they needed public school, charter school, or home school. God knows each child better than we do.
Please leave comments! Education is so important for children and adults.
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